Five Days
by Dancingqueen4Life
Summary: Five days. He was five days late, and Natasha was losing her mind. Rating is mostly for language. Please R&R!


**Alright. So I updated one of my other stories, which to me means that I get to write another one. This is just a one shot, but it's on the longer side. Hopefully you guys will still like it.**

* * *

Natasha looked out the window in her and Clint's living room in Avenger's Tower and tried not to think too much. But as it was in any situation, the thing you didn't want to do was the thing you did the most.

Barton was late.

True, he was only a day late, easily explainable as the mission being slightly harder, the debriefing taking a little longer, or a hundred other things.

Natasha knew she shouldn't be worried, that he could take care of himself, but she couldn't help it. It was his first solo mission since Loki had taken control of him. During the 6 months since the Manhattan fiasco, the team had been on numerous missions, as had Clint and Natasha. But this was his first time going out alone. And he was late getting back.

She heard footsteps behind her and when she turned, she saw Tony staring at her.

"What's up, Red?"  
"Go die, Stark."  
"Ooo, harsh."  
Natasha rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

"Seriously, what's going on? You've been holed up here all day. Did Legolas do something?"  
"Don't be ridiculous, Stark. He's not even here."  
"Oh, so you're worried, are you?"  
"No. Barton can take care of himself."  
"Right."  
"Stark. Get out before I find something to kill you with."  
Tony sighed and mumbled something about it being his tower, but he left her alone anyway.

Natasha sighed as she looked out the window. She knew she should go to sleep, but she needed to blow off steam. So she changed into workout clothes and headed to the gym.

She made her way to one of the treadmills and stepped on, starting out at an easy jog, before cranking it up as high as she could stand. Her mind disengaged, and she thought back to possibly the most exhilarating runs of her life.

_"Shit, get down!" She hit the ground just as a bullet sailed past where her head had been.  
"Thanks, Barton."_

_Their first mission as partners was not going as planned. They'd gotten some false info and now they were running from the sex trafficking ring she'd tried to infiltrate and the crime family whose hit man he'd killed._

_"Alright, there's our window. On three. One. Two. Three. Go!"  
Barton was dragging her to the car while she fired shots at the advancing men._

_"Would you stop shooting and close the fucking door so we can leave?!"_

_She shot him a look and slammed the door shut and he immediately peeled out of the lot._

A sharp pain in her side made her slow down and turn off the machine. She gave herself a short break before running up the stairs to their floor. After showering she changed into his sweatpants and one of his old shirts. She climbed into bed and tried to imagine him lying next to her.

That was the first night she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

The second day wasn't much better. Clint still hadn't returned, and she was really starting to worry. There weren't many good things that could delay his return two days. She'd tried talking to Fury, but he told her to relax and not shoot anybody.

She was sitting in one of the alcoves in the tower trying to focus on the book in front of her instead of the thoughts swirling around in her head.

The door to the alcove opened, and Steve came in. He sat down across from her and just watched her for a moment.

"What?" She finally hissed.  
"Sorry. I was just making sure you're ok."  
"I'm fine."  
"It's ok to be worried."  
"I'm not worried. He can take care of himself."  
"Ok. If you want to talk…"  
"I don't."

Steve sighed as he left. At least he could say he'd tried.

Finally pretending to read became too much. She stood and went back to her room to change before heading to the gym for the second night in a row. She made her way to the punching bag in the corner and got to work.

As she hit the bag her mind disengaged, and she found her memories slipping back to an altogether different fight.

_Natasha hit him squarely in the jaw, causing him to stumble slightly, although he still managed to dodge the kick to his ribs._

_"Ow! What the fucking hell, Tasha?"  
"You're cleared for training, Barton."  
"Yes, I was there when I was cleared. That doesn't explain why you attacked before I was ready."  
"You should always be ready."  
Clint sighed but got into his stance. Immediately Natasha attacked again. She aimed for his stomach and his legs and his head. Anywhere there was enough room to squeeze her hand in was fair game._

_After a particularly harsh kick right to his stomach sent him stumbling backward, Clint signaled that he was done._

_"What the fuck has gotten into you, Tasha?"  
"You almost died. I'm making sure that it doesn't happen again."  
"Cut the crap, we both know I've almost died before."  
Natasha rolled her eyes and tried to walk by him. Clint reached out and grabbed her arm tightly and forced her to look at him._

_"Tasha." He whispered. "What's wrong?"  
"I almost lost you." __**Shit. Did I say that out loud?**_

_"What do you mean, Tasha?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
Clint sighed as she ripped her arm from his grasp. She began walking from the room, thinking he was just going to let her go, and trying to ignore the rejection she felt. Just as she reached the door, however, he grabbed her arm again._

_He turned her sharply and after glancing at her eyes briefly, he crashed his lips down on hers, kissing her for all he was worth. It took 2 seconds for Natasha to start kissing him back. She'd only just realized how she felt, and it terrified her. But as she stood there kissing the only man she'd ever been in love with, all her fear left her, and she threw herself into the kiss._

_When they finally pulled apart, Natasha smiled at him and whispered, "It took you long enough."_

As Natasha snapped back to reality, she noticed that one of her hands was slightly bloody, but she didn't care. She sank slowly to the floor, doing her best to keep it together until she gathered up the energy to go back to her and Clint's floor.

When she did manage to pick her self up, she ran up the two flights of stairs and into the bathroom. She showered quickly and changed into a pair of Clint's boxers and one of his sweatshirts before climbing into bed and hugging his pillow tightly.

When she was sure that JARVIS had locked the door, she finally allowed the tears to flow.

That was the second night she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

The third day was just as bad, but Natasha had learned to control her anger. As it was, she'd only threatened to kill Tony 5 times this morning.

As she stood in the kitchen making baklava, something that helped calm her, Bruce came to stand next to her.

"Are you here to talk to me?"  
"If you need me to."  
"Are you going to tell me that he can take care of himself?"  
"No. You already know he can."  
"Then what are you here for?"  
"I haven't had baklava in years. I was hoping to steal some while you weren't looking."  
Natasha actually cracked a smile at that.

When the food was done, they ate together in silence. It was only when a single serving was left and Natasha saved it for her partner that they spoke.

"Is it really ok to be worried?"  
"Of course, Natasha. He's your partner. I'd be concerned if you weren't worried."  
Natasha nodded. She picked up the plate and left the kitchen. She made it back to her floor and set the dessert in the middle of the table. She went to her closet and pulled on one of her leos and grabbed her grips before going to her and Clint's personal gym. After stretching, Natasha pulled her grips on and rubbed chalk on them before starting her workout. She started on the low bar before moving to the higher one. Once situated, Natasha proceeded to do giant after giant on the bar, until she felt like she was going to throw up. When she was done, she maneuvered herself so that she was sitting on the top bar, just as a memory hit her.

_"You should come down here."_

_"Oh? And why's that?"  
"Cause I've got a question for you."  
"Can't you ask me like this?"  
"No."  
Natasha rolled her eyes but did a few giants to build up momentum before dismounting._

_"Beautiful." Clint breathed.  
"Shut up. What did you want to ask?"_

_Clint suddenly looked uncomfortable._

_"You're not backing out, so just ask me."  
Clint sighed and nodded. He leaned in and kissed Natasha quickly, smiling as he pulled away._

_"Ok." With that, he slid onto one knee and looked up at Natasha.  
"Clint, what the fuck are you doing?"  
"Shh." Clint took a deep breath and began. "Natasha Romanoff, I love you more than I've loved anything in the world. With the possible exception of my bow." That got a chuckle from her. "Will you marry me?"_

_Natasha pretended to think about it, but after a few seconds she pulled him off the ground and kissed him._

_"Yes, you idiot."  
Clint kissed her again and pulled the ring from his pocket._

_"Weren't you supposed to use that while you were asking me?"  
"Oh. I guess so."  
Natasha laughed as he opened the box. When she saw the ring, her laughter stopped. It was by far the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. In the center was deep blue sapphire, surrounded by small emeralds. The band was white gold, with two small amethysts on either side of the centerpiece._

_Clint slipped the ring onto her finger as she kissed him._

_"It's gorgeous, Clint."  
"It's more than just pretty stones. This." He pointed to the sapphire, "Is for the month we met, and I didn't kill you. This," he pointed to the emeralds, "Is for the month you finally told me you loved me. And these," he pointed to the amethysts on the band, "are for the month you're agreeing to marry me."  
Natasha smiled as she kissed him again. "So you were assuming I'd accept?" She finally asked.  
"I was. And if you didn't, I was going to ask you everyday until you did."_

_Natasha smiled as she kissed him again and allowed him to lead her to their bed._

Natasha flipped off the bar and made her way back to her bathroom. She showered and changed into her own pajamas. Just before climbing into her bed, she went to the safe in the wall, and opened it. She carefully pulled out the chain she'd placed in the safe before her workout, and slipped the ring off. The stones were still just as pretty as they'd been the day Clint had given it to her. She carefully slipped the ring on her finger and closed the safe. She climbed into the bed and hugged Clint's pillow, asking JARVIS to turn off the lights.

That was the third night she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Day four saw Natasha able to interact a little more with the group. But after breakfast Tony proved too much for her to deal with, so she went up to Clint's nest on the roof. She hadn't taken her ring off yet, deciding that it was time for the team to figure it out.

A few hours after she arrived on the roof, she heard the door open, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pepper approach.

"It's beautiful up here."  
Natasha nodded in response. In the months since Loki, she and Pepper had become friends or at least, the closest Natasha had to friends beside Clint, Phil, and Maria.

"Any word?" Pepper asked.  
"None."  
"Did you talk to Fury?"  
"He told me to relax and not shoot anybody."

Pepper nodded as she sat next to Natasha. It was silent for a while, just the sound of far away people. The wind blew Natasha's hair out of place, and when she raised her hand to fix it, Pepper gasped and grabbed her hand.

"Natasha!"  
"What?"  
"What is that?" Pepper asked, pointing to the ring on Natasha's finger.  
"It's a ring."  
"I see that. Is it an engagement ring?"  
"Yeah." Natasha whispered.  
"Are you and Clint engaged?"  
"You could say that."  
"Natasha!"  
"Pepper, please. Keep your voice down!"  
"Sorry. But no wonder you're worried."  
"We're not just engaged."  
"Oh?"  
"We're married."  
"What?!"  
"Pepper! I will not hesitate to throw you off this roof!"  
"Sorry! But seriously? You're married?"  
"Yes."

Pepper seemed to be able to tell that Natasha didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she dropped the subject. The two red heads sat in silence until Pepper decided to go inside.

While Pepper went to eat with the rest of the group, Natasha went to her room and pulled on tights and a leotard and her pointe shoes.

She made her way to her private gym and walked over to the stereo. She turned it on and allowed the music to drift over her. Without really being aware of it, she began to dance, letting the music determine her steps. When the music grew, her movements grew. When it quieted, so did her steps. Dancing nowadays always reminded her of a very particular dance.

_They had finally finished their mission, and had even managed to escape without too much injury. Clint pulled her into their hotel room and pulled her into his arms._

_"Clint! What are you doing?"  
"We just got married, Tasha. And custom dictates that after you get married, you dance."  
"Clint. We got fake married. It's not legal anywhere."  
"But it's legal to us. Which makes us married. So shut up and let me dance with my wife."  
Natasha smiled as she leaned in to Clint's embrace. He began to softly sing in her ear, and they swayed in their hotel room._

_"I love you, Tasha."  
"I love you too, Clint."_

Natasha noticed that the music had ended. She went back to her room, and showered quickly before pulling on pajamas. She went to the safe and opened it. She would have taken out her wedding band, but when she'd been kidnapped on a mission a few years ago, it had been lost. Clint hadn't been worried. He told her they could get another one made, but Natasha acted like a little kid and told him that another would do. She needed that one back, or none at all. Clint had agreed, ad they'd simply gone on without her wedding band.

Instead she picked up a small piece of paper. She unfolded it and allowed a smile to cross her face. When they'd returned from the mission where they'd gotten "married" Clint had grabbed a piece of paper, and they each took turns writing their vows, then they'd both signed it. Natasha read over the vows, her smile growing until she reached the last one they'd both written. They'd all been different, but Clint had said this one, and Natasha agreed with it, so she'd said it as well.

_I will always find a way home._

A single tear slipped from her eye as she read it, thinking for just a moment that he'd broken that one promise. But as quickly as the thought appeared, she pushed it out of her mind.

She returned the paper to the safe and locked it. She got into bed facing Clint's side of the bed. His pillow was losing his scent, so she grabbed one of the jackets he'd worn just before he left and held it to her chest, breathing in his scent.

That was the fourth night she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

On the fifth day, Natasha didn't wake up until well past noon. She would have been annoyed, but she knew her body was telling her that she hadn't been sleeping like she needed to.

She spent the day on her and Clint's floor watching Indiana Jones movies.

Around 5 that night, she heard a noise on the helipad just above their floor. Without thinking, she grabbed her gun and made her way to investigate.

She pushed open the door and saw the SHIELD issue helicopter sitting in front of her. Her first thought was that something horrible had happened, and that they were coming to tell her. But then she watched as Clint stepped off the chopper.

She realized she still had her gun pointed at him, and she smiled at his expression.

"Are you going to kill me, Tasha?"  
"I might. Depends on your excuse for being 5 fucking days late, Barton."  
Natasha caught sight of Maria in the chopper and returned her smile. Clint made his way to Natasha's side, and she realized that he was limping.

She looped his arm around her neck and helped him inside. She was slightly surprised when she saw the rest of the team there, but she realized they must have heard his arrival as well.

"Natasha, let me look over his injuries…"  
"No thank you, Dr. Banner. We've patched each other up plenty of times."  
Natasha caught Pepper's eye as she helped Clint from the room and did her best to appear intimidating to the other redhead, hoping Pepper wouldn't share their secret just yet.

When they finally arrived to their floor, Clint sagged slightly.

"Whoa. Barton, you still need to make it to the bathroom."  
Clint sighed but pulled himself up slightly. When they finally arrived in the bathroom, Natasha set him on the edge of the tub and pulled out the first aid kit. Then she helped him out of his uniform, until he was sitting before her in just his boxers. She began cleaning the gash on his cheek, getting the dried blood off before she was able to actually get a look at it.

"What the hell happened, Clint?"  
"Fire escape gave out; I went down a story before I could grab anything. Stray piece of metal sliced my cheek."  
Natasha sighed at the man in front of her. "We've talked about you being more careful."  
"I know. But we both know I don't listen."  
Natasha smiled with him, and leaned in to gently kiss his lips. She reached back into the kit to grab some gauze for his face and was about to put it on when he grabbed her hand.

"You're wearing your ring?"  
Natasha looked at his cheek and nodded. Clint allowed her to finish his cheek before he placed a finger under her chin and pulled her face up so he could look at her. When their eyes met, Natasha did her best to keep he tears out of her eyes.

"Tasha." Clint whispered, gently tracing her cheek. "Did I scare you that badly?"  
"I-I didn't know where you were. And I kept hearing Phil tell me you'd been compromised and I-I…"  
"Shh. Tasha, I'm right here."  
Natasha nodded and Clint pulled her into his lap. He tucked her face into his neck as his arms wrapped around her. He rocked her gently as he murmured comforting words to her.

"I thought you broke your vow."  
Clint pulled back slightly, shocked at her words.

"We both wrote that we'd find a way to come home, and a little part of me wondered if something happened and that wasn't true any more."  
Clint kissed her forehead. "It'll always be true, Nat. I will always find a way to come home."  
They sat together for a moment, and Clint spoke again.

"I actually had another mission while I was on this one."  
"SHIELD gave you a twofer?"  
"Not SHIELD. The first one was, but the other was…not."  
Natasha looked at him quizzically, and Clint gestured to his pants.

Natasha leaned over and grabbed them and handed them over. Clint fished around in the pockets before finding what he wanted.

"There was something I needed to find."  
Before Natasha could say another word, Clint handed her a box.

Natasha felt her breath catch in her throat as she looked at Clint, who just smiled in response. Natasha carefully opened the box and nearly started crying as she saw the ring.

"Is it really?"  
"The same. I had a lead from one of my contacts, so I followed it. I know I should have called, but I wanted to surprise you. I figured Fury would have told you not to worry."  
"He did. In his own way."  
"So basically, he didn't."  
"Basically."  
Natasha couldn't stop staring at the ring. It was white gold to match her engagements ring, and it was simple. The only marking on it was on the inside. Engraved, almost too small to see if you weren't looking for it, was a small arrow. It was engraved so that if she wore it enough, when she took it off there would be a small arrow on the inside of her finger. Clint's was the same concept, with a small spider engraved on his ring.

Clint carefully picked up her ring and slid it onto her finger next to her engagement ring.

When he was done, he brought her hand to his face and kissed her knuckles.

"I love you, Tasha."  
"I love you too, Clint."  
Clint stood carefully, keeping his hold on Natasha as he did so. He carried her into their bedroom where she changed into a pair of his boxers and a sports bra while he got into bed. Natasha slid into her spot on the bed, and snuggled into Clint's chest when he turned to face her. She pressed her nose to his shoulder, inhaling his scent.

_Much better than what's on his pillow and clothes._ She thought as she fell asleep. Clint kissed the top of her head and buried his nose in her curls.

That wasn't the fifth night she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

**There you go! I like writing new stories, so I hope you guys like reading them!  
Reviews are wonderful. You should write one. :)**


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